Pak calls for "sustained and meaningful" dialogue with India to end 'trust deficit'

Islamabad, May 25(ANI): The Pakistan Government has called for a "sustained and meaningful" dialogue with India after Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that a trust deficit was the main obstacle in ties between the two countries.

"Obviously, there is a mutual trust deficit and we need to build trust between our two countries on solid foundations so that our two countries and our people can live in peace and prosperity," The Dawn quoted Abdul Basit, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesman, as saying."To this end, Pakistan looks forward to a sustained and meaningful engagement with India with a view to free our relations from all disputes and conflicts," he added.

Earlier on Monday, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Dr. Singh had said that India is willing to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan, but "the trust gap is the biggest problem".

Dr. Singh also said that the issue was identified as the core problem when he met his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani in Thimphu, Bhutan, in April.

"We agreed that the trust deficit is a major problem blocking progress in the direction of going forward and that it should be our common endeavor to reduce the trust deficit. That's when we agreed that the foreign ministers should meet," he said.

"Pakistan is our neighbour. It is my firm belief that India cannot realise its full development potential till we have best relations with our neighbours," he added. (ANI)